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LSU Manship student, Zeta Tau Alpha sister, follower of Christ

Tag Archives: women

“If I can’t have you, girls, I will destroy you. You denied me a happy life, and in turn, I will deny all you life. It’s only fair.”

Those are the chilling words of 22-year-old Elliot Rodger, who shot and killed six victims near University of California, Santa Barbara.

Rodger goes on to say in a final YouTube video that it is an “injustice” that he is a virgin – that women never returned his advances. In other words, it is his right to have sex with a woman, and if she is not willing, it is his right to kill her.

Because of men like Rodger, college women do not feel safe on their own campuses. We travel in packs for safety. We’re taught to go on first dates in very public areas before men gain our trust. We automatically distance ourselves from men if we happen to be alone, our eyes shifting for a safer place. These men could be perfect gentlemen, but unfortunately we must assume they are potential attackers for our safety.

Rodger stated in his video that he would specifically target “the hottest sorority on campus” because they represent all the no’s and I-don’t-want-to’s and leave-me-alone’s he’s heard.

What’s sad is that sororities historically stand against the exact misogynistic and patriarchal ideas Rodger believes in. Teenaged girls, mostly denied access to higher education, formed together in their schools to advance higher ideals, like loyalty, wisdom and love. In a time when women couldn’t even cast votes, girls formed secret societies where they could elect their own leaders. The founders wrote rituals in which every member has promised to help and support her sisters.

Being a sorority woman means being the biggest cheerleader for strong women.

Yet, as I sat outside my sorority house a year ago, a truck with young men hanging out the windows revved by. The men yelled at me. Harrassed me. Put me down with their words. All because I sat by myself, and I was a woman.

Yet, my sorority’s executive council decided to forgo a usual chapter meeting and instead have a rape defense class. All because some men want us, and we are women.

Yet, a psychopath named Elliot Rodger targeted the UCSB Alpha Phi sorority house during his shooting rampage. All because other women told him no, and sororities are built by women.

It is not confirmed yet how many sorority women were in those six killed. My heart goes out to all the victims.

Dear sisters, do not ever let fear and sick people like Rodger tell you that it is not your right to say “no.” You are a woman, and you get to make your own decisions.

UPDATE: All six victims were UCSB students, two of which were sorority women. Three of the victims were stabbed, not shot, at Rodger’s apartment. They are Cheng Yuan Hong, George Chen and Weihan Wang. Christopher Martinez was shot at a deli. Katherine Cooper and Veronika Weiss were shot outside the Alpha Phi house.

Rodger tried to enter the Alpha Phi house, but the door was locked. The members inside did not let Rodger in. He then attacked Cooper and Weiss, both sisters of Delta Delta Delta, who happened to be outside the Alpha Phi house. Tri Delta’s national president made a statement here.

Today I’m traveling to study abroad with LSU in Ireland for a month. I am very excited to learn and tour, but the idea of packing baffled me. After spending an entire afternoon laying outfits on my bed, I think I’ve finally figured it out. Here are 8 Packing Tips for Women.

1. Don’t Overpack
Even though you’ll be gone a while, you don’t need to pack your entire closet. Plan on doing laundry once a week, so you’ll only have to pack enough to last a week. Choose only the basics. For example, I packed the following for my trip to Ireland, where the high Saturday is 59°F:-2 jeans
-1 pair of leggings
-3 short-sleeved shirts
-2 tanks
-3 long-sleeved shirts
-2 button downs
-2 sweaters
-1 sweatshirt
-1 rain jacket
-1 dress
-2 belts
-3 pairs of shoes
-2 pajama sets

2. Everything Must MatchTo double or triple the number of outfits you have, make sure every bottom matches every top, every tank matches every blouse and every shoe matches every item. To do this, pick a simple color scheme of one or two colors and fill in with neutrals like gray, black and white. Everything I packed is either neutral, blue or yellow.

3. Layer
Ireland is much chillier than south Louisiana, and layering is a must. Pack tanks, short-sleeves, long-sleeves, button downs and sweaters. These options will keep you warm, but will also give you plenty of options to mix and match new outfits with only a select few items. All you have to do is switch an undershirt, and you’re suddenly wearing what looks like a new outfit.

Layering is a great way to stay warm and to create new outfits.

4. Pick a Staple DressChoose a patterned sundress from your closet with your selected color scheme. You can wear the dress by itself, or tie it together with a sweater or button down. To mix it up even more, add a belt or scarf.

6. Leggings CAN Be Pants
Like it or not, leggings are a fashion lifesaver. Leggings take up hardly any room in your suitcase, match every shirt under the sun and are super comfortable. Instead of packing multiple jeans, save some space and switch out a pair for leggings.

A long sweater can be worn with leggings, or it can be tucked in to a skirt to dress up.

7. Stop, Drop and Roll
Instead of folding your clothes, roll them. This takes up less space, and also gives your clothes less wrinkles.

Roll your clothes instead of folding.

8. Stuff Socks and Undies in Shoes
This keeps all your socks together, and fills in all possible space in the suitcase.